Despite playing a crucial role in Luffy’s journey, Red-Haired Shanks has remained one of One Piece’s biggest mysteries. Even after more than two decades, fans still know very little about this charismatic pirate. Fortunately, the ongoing Elbaf arc has finally started to shed light on his story.
One Piece explains why Shanks was placed inside a chest
When One Piece Film: Red premiered in 2022, a special booklet called Volume 4 Billion surprised fans by revealing part of Shanks’ origin, including that he was raised by Roger. The booklet contained a rough sketch showing Roger’s pirate crew finding young Shanks inside a treasure chest shortly after the God Valley incident.
Along with new revelations about the God Valley event and Shanks’ noble World Government lineage (he is the son of Saint Knight Figarland), a big question remained: why was the son of a Saint Knight found inside a treasure chest?
The latest flashbacks in One Piece have finally provided some answers.
Chapter 1159 revealed a young Dragon being entrusted by a dying mother to take Shanks and Shamrock off the island. After Shamrock was captured by Saint Maffey, chapter 1163 shows Shanks becoming separated from Dragon and crawling toward a treasure chest identical to the one where he was found, solving the mystery of how Shanks ended up inside the chest.
Shanks still holds many secrets
In summary, while a major mystery about Shanks has been unraveled in the latest chapter, much about him remains unknown, especially his ultimate goal in One Piece. The Elbaf arc has added many intriguing details to his character, calling him a “child of destiny.”
Currently, Shanks seems aware of his Figarland heritage and has visited Mariejois, as Shamrock mentioned. Although it appears Shanks has distanced himself from his noble roots, his true stance on the World Government remains unpredictable.
However, his desire to overthrow the World Government might explain why Shanks stole the Gum-Gum Fruit (or more accurately, the Nika Fruit) years ago. This also clarifies his purpose in pursuing One Piece, which Vegapunk believes could determine the world’s fate. The truth about Shanks will likely be one of the series’ final key revelations.